Dexter Season 5 - what's Dexter anyway?

Dexter is not a Tiger Woods update or an NFL football player. For that, you may say "Thank God", but look; what's Dexter anyway? More like who's Dexter anyway? Dexter Season 5 has got people talking include me, and I've never heard of Dexter. Showtime calls him "America's favorite serial killer."

Yikes.

Dexter is a Showtime Original Series about a man who works within the bowls of the criminal justice system, but goes out and kills those people already suspected of being guilty of a crime, making him a kind of serial killer.

My first response in considering this television series was "I can't believe someone made a show like this, and that people are watching it."

My second take was "What the hell is wrong with society?"

I ask because, thousands of people lined up for at least four hours to see a special screening of the show's Season 5 finale Sunday in New York City, leading to this tweet:

At the Dexter finale party in NYC and fans have been lined up since 4:30 this afternoon. That's Dextication! about 6 hours ago from Echofon

And "Dextication"? Oh man. What's going on? And I have to ask, why is Dexter white? Would the show be as popular if he were black? I ask because once again we're thrown images to consume without asking why we're supposed to do so. You know? Is this a way of saying that it's OK for a white man to be a celebrated serial killer? Now, maybe I should rethink that, because who in blazes wants to be fawned all over because they're a serial killer?

But the point is, does Dexter reflect a racial double standard, such that in reality a white person is more likely to get away with such crimes than someone black? It's worthy of discussion.

Well, here's a video from the show; maybe you can clue me in:



Stay tuned.

Giants Drop a Tough One to the Hated Eagles

Giants Drop a Tough One to the Hated Eagles



The NY Giants came into this game tonight needing a win over the Eagles in the worst way. They couldn't come up with one, and so goes their season. In dropping the second game of the year to the birds, NY has no chance to win the NFC eastern Division, and must now win the final three games against the Redskins, Panthers, and Vikings just to win 10 games and get into post season play. We will have a full recap, but three players who had tough days for NY on Offense were Brandon Jacobs, Eli Manning, and Mario Manningham. This was their last game against the Eagles in Giants Stadium, with all the motivation in the world, and while they never gave up, they made plenty of mistakes in the loss. Including a sack and fumble on the very last play on offense. the Giants allowed 4 turnovers and several big plays, including a defensive touchdown, a punt return for a touchdown, and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. The Giants drop to a 7-6 record and are once again hanging by a thread in the playoff race. No joy in "wetville" tonight folks.

Lady GaGa in San Francisco: fans wait in line

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Kengr at YouTube Meetup

At Lake Chalet at 1520 Lakeside dr
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At YouTube Meetup at Lake Chalet Oakland

I am at Lake Chalet Oakland for the YouTube meetup at 1520 Lakeside Drive
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2012, Avatar, and Star Trek on list of 15 films vying for VFX Oscar

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a list of 15 movies competing to be one of just three films to be nominated for the Best Visual Effects Oscar. In my view this is the most competitive field in years. Let's look at the list first where the movies are in alphabetical order:

* Angels & Demons
* Avatar
* Coraline
* Disney's A Christmas Carol
* District 9
* G-Force
* G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
* Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
* Sherlock Holmes
* Star Trek
* Terminator Salvation
* Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
* 2012
* Watchmen
* Where the Wild Things Are

If recent trends are a guide, the Academy will pick realism over obviously fantasy environments. That's what happened with the Lord of The Rings series which won the effects prize every year one of the movies was released. With that in mind, I think Avatar, 2012, and Star Trek have to be the front runners here.

Avatar has some of the most complex effects scenes ever developed and one look at a trailer reveals an unmatched richness and depth of layering. The Avatar world is hyper-real on a grand scale.

2012's depictions of earthquakes, floods, and giant arc-like vessels is just breath-taking. So much so that the film becomes a sensory experience.

Star Trek has a scene with the drydocked Enterprise that's so good it looks as if the 1,000-foot spacecraft is actually there in daylight. Subject matter aside, it's the most realistic scene of its kind I've ever seen in a movie.

Oscar List will be paired to three

The Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee - the same group that created this list - will meet in January to pair it down to seven films. Then on January 21st all AMPAS Visual Effects Branch members will be invited to a special screening of 15-minutes of each of the seven short-listed films. From that, the members will vote for the final three films for the category at the 82nd Academy Awards. The nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The Academy Awards is on Sunday, March 7, 2010 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on ABC. Seen one of the films? What's your favorite for the VFX Oscar?

Tiger Woods latest - Woods moving to Sweden on Yacht?

Tiger Woods moving to Sweden on a yacht? Tiger woods quit golf. The Tiger Woods latest news updates are getting weird. The the continuous public frenzy to learn more and more about the fall of Tiger Woods, the World's Greatest Golfer, has caused more confusing headlines and sloppy media content in the midst of all these updates - including mine.

For example, The Huffington Post has it that Woods' wife Elin Nordegren has purchased a $2 million home in her native Sweden. But that alleged development has other media outlets assuming she's leaving Woods. Now, it's reported at the same Huff Post that Woods himself is moving to Sweden with Elin Nordegren. But Campbell Brown and Larry King Live both on CNN reported that Woods and his wife were going to get away on their yacht.

So from all this we can only conclude that Woods and wife are traveling to Sweden on their yacht.

Right.

Separating fact from fiction is a doable process in this scandal but the rapid pace of information created, in some cases from thin air, makes it hard to do. Then that information is covered over by television appearances by Tiger Woods mistresses Jaimie Grubbs, who said she is sorry for huring Elin Nordegren, to Jamie Jungers, who was given the spotlight on NBC's The Today's Show to say she had fallen in love with Tiger Woods during their affair.

Sad for Jamie Jungers, who seems like a nice person.  I suppose her mood is still anxious.

Meanwhile the whole deal gets a ton of attention, leading some to ask why the media pays attention to the story. Hey, it's society's fault. OK. Besides, I have to admit it's a lot less annoying than the attention given to Sarah Palin. I mean lets' face it: Palin is no match for Al Gore in a debate on anything. But Palin versus Al Gore on climate change would be like Bambi versus Godzilla.

You know how that turned out.

And will someone - OK me - tell Stephen A. Smith to chill on insulting Tiger Woods, calling him a phony and essentially cracking on him with a really hurtful relish as he did on Larry King Live Friday night.  In the past I liked what Stephen A. Smith had to say about anything, and watched his TV show as its important for blacks to support blacks in media.  But only to a point.  I've reached it. 

Now Stephen A. Smith really just comes off as a mean person.  I wonder how he would handle it if another Stephen A. Smith talked about him the way he talks about Tiger Woods?  Think about it.  Here's a brother who of course wants other brothers to stand behind him on the air but he can't even bother to talk about Tiger Woods in measured tones?  I get that Smith's upset with Woods' parade of stories, but come on. 

Karma...You know what I mean. 

Stay tuned and Happy Hanukkah.

WEEK 14 FANTASY SLEEPER

WEEK 14 FANTASY SLEEPER
By William Queen for Football Reporters Online
 
Nearing the end of the regular season, fantasy football fans are thinking of only one word; playoffs. Over the course of the season, I’ve provided a fantasy sleeper every week to help you out with who to bench and who to start. Well Washington Redskins running back Quinton Ganther takes the spot as week 14’s fantasy sleeper; if you need an extra boost this week, this is the guy to get.
 
Only 21% of fantasy leagues have this guy on a roster. And only 12% start him. So, needless to say, no one knows who he is. However, that doesn’t mean he can’t rack up fantasy points. Not getting a rushing attempt till the 10th week of the season, Ganther was simply an unknown backup. But, hence to two season-ending injuries suffered by backs in front of him, Ganther has his shot.
 
This is Ganther’s first career start, meaning that he’ll be looking to impress and hopefully take over in the Redskins backfield for the rest of the season. And lucky him, guess who’s lining up on defense? Only the worst rush defense in the NFL; the Oakland Raiders.
 
Allowing nearly 160 yards rushing per game, the Raiders think they’re catching a break with Ganther in the backfield. But little do they know that the Washington Redskins, along with back Quinton Ganther, will be looking for revenge after they’re suffering a painful 33-30 overtime loss vs. the Saints.

JETS TAKE ON BUCS WITHOUT SANCHEZ

JETS TAKE ON BUCS WITHOUT SANCHEZ
by TJ Rosenthal for Football Reporters Online


watch the jet report for week 14 with T,J, and Griff at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbLk4SHhSLw&feature=sub



The 6-6 Jets head South to Tampa to take on the 1-11 Bucs as the march towards the playoffs continues. To keep it rolling the Jets are going to have to do it without QB Mark Sanchez whose knee sprain suffered on the scramble in Buffalo has forced head coach Rex Ryan to err on the side of caution. Kellen Clemens takes over as signal caller in a must win for the Jets, plain and simple.

The Jets currently find themselves in a 6-6 logjam with the Dolphins, Steelers and Ravens. Gang Green and the other .500 AFC East clubs are chasing the 7-5 Jaguars who beat the Jets weeks back in a game that looms large with tie breaker implications going against the Jets should both teams finish with the same record. That said, the Bucs game is huge with banged up Atlanta on deck. After that the undefeated Colts and first place Bengals await. There's no room for error this weekend. 8-6 is essential if the Jets want to keep it going past Christmas.

Clemens replaced Sanchez in the third quarter last Thursday against Buffalo and was rusty. The fourth year QB lost his footing on a few occasions, fumbled a snap, and was stripped on a rollout near the Jet goal line. Sunday will be Clemens first start since the final game in 2007, a win over the hapless Chiefs. “Yeah, I’m coming off a one-game winning streak,’’ Clemens said. “That’s 23 months ago … it seems like a long time ago.’’

Fortunately for Clemens the gameplan may be the same. Ground and Pound. Buffalo was ranked 32nd in rushing defense going into last week. The Jets, the number one rushing team in the NFL at 168.6 yards per game lived up to their average in week 13. The  RB combo of Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene rushed for 168 yards combined. Tampa comes into the game ranked 31st. Clemens will need to manage the game, make solid decisions, move the chains at times, and like Sanchez, not make unforced errors. The truth is though, Sunday will again be about the run game.

Can Clemens lead the Jets to a win? He says that he just has to do his job. Nothing more. This IS a 1-11 opponent.  Coach Rex Ryan is showing faith in his backup. “I have a lot of confidence in Kellen Clemens; this football team has confidence in Kellen.’’ The colorful rookie head coach also provided insight as to how Sanchez took the news of the benching. “He’s mad as a hornet at me. But that’s good. I was mad at him (for not sliding Thursday) and now he’s mad at me, so we’re even.’’

Buccaneers rookie head coach Raheem Morris inserted Josh Freeman into the starting lineup during the middle of the season.The rookie QB led the Bucs to their only win, a 38-28 victory over Green Bay four weeks back  in which 2009's 17th overall pick in the April NFL draft tossed three TDs. Last week Freeman threw for 321 yards no TDs, and five picks in a loss to the 4-7 Panthers. WR Antonio Bryant had 116 of those receiving yards, and appears to have shaken off the injury bug that has plagued the clubs top wideout all year. TE Kellen Winslow Jr  provides Freeman with another threat in the passing game and the once oft injured RB Cadillac Williams who gained 92 yards last week can get loose from time to time. The Jets defense however, is ranked second in the NFL giving up just 276 yards per game (Green Bay is first at 273 yds given up on average). The front four will need to contain Williams while the Jet ground game tries to control the tempo in the first half. 

CB  Darelle Revis is coming off yet another sensational performance in holding hot WR Terrell Owens to a mere 30 yards. CB Lito Shephard kept speedy Lee Evans to just 40 yards and was aggressive playing the ball, almost turning a few Ryan Fitzpatrick throws into ints. LB David Harris is heating up again. Last week in Toronto, Harris had 11 tackles and was a force all game. If the Jet top defenders  like Revis, Harris, LB Bart Scott can continue to have the presence they lacked during their November swoon, yet have regained in wins over Carolina and Buffalo the load will be even lighter for Clemens. At 6-6, this is no time for the Jets to take a step back. One false move in Tampa and 2009 is history.

THREE KEYS TO THE TAMPA BAY GAME

CLEMENS DO YOUR JOB: He said it. I just have to do my job. He's right. 150 passing yards, no bad ints backed up deep, and that could be enough. Remeber, he relieve Chad Pennington in 2007 and almost rescue the Jets in Baltimore early in the season. 

ANTONIO BRYANT: and CADILLAC WILLIAMS Bryant's their one big play threat.
Finally he's healthy. Darelle  Revis has shut everyone down in 2009. He'll need to do it again. Keep Bryant quiet and Williams modest and keeping the Bucs from stealing this game becomes that much easier.

EDWARDS, CATCH THE BALL: Kellen Clemens will need the WRs to hold onto catchable balls Sunday. The throws will be few and far between. Some may be deep shots, most third downs and manageable yardage. Clemens confidence will grow as the chains move. Extra focus is needed by Braylon Sunday. A long drop or a key third down muff this week could be costly. 

follow TJ Rosenthal on Twitter @ thejetreport

FRO’s Favorite Five” Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks Week 14

“FRO’s Favorite Five”
Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks
Week 14

By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com


Joe Flacco started the first few games of the season like a top 5 fantasy QB, but as the season went on that ranking has dropped. This weekend the Lions and their league worst pass defense is coming to town. Although the Detroit Lions run defense isn’t much better the Ravens should look at this game as a great chance to work the kinks out of that passing game. With Pittsburgh’s recent downfall Baltimore is in prime position to move up into one of the wildcard positions. By the way, it’s December and that means it is time for Eli Manning to shine again.

Can I honestly recommend a Kansas City Chief? Well at home against the leagues worst rushing defense; I’ll have to put it out there. Last week against a nice Denver run defense Jamal Charles managed 65 yards and one TD. This week with a possible QB controversy in town, the Chiefs should run the ball into the ground. With Kellen Clemens starting for the Injured Mark Sanchez, rookie RB Shonn Greene could get some additional carries as the Jets attempt to run the ball on a poor Tampa Bay defense.

Rookie Titans WR Kenny Britt is primed for another great game. This weekend against an injury riddled St. Louis Rams secondary Britt should easily continue his streak of playable fantasy performances. As a bonus, if your league allows return yardage and TDs to count for offensive players, Britt seems to have locked up the kick returner position and looks like he’ll break one soon. With Robert Meachem drawing attention as New Orleans travels to Atlanta, don’t forget that Devery Henderson is the dome receiver.

TE John Carlson hasn’t been the fantasy stud that most people anticipated this off season, this weekend he may live up to it. This week Carlson’s Seattle Seahawks travel south to Houston to face a Texans team that historically struggles against TEs. Last week 2 different TEs from Jacksonville lead the team in receiving, and Dallas Clark put up 63 yards and a TD the week before. Greg Olsen against Green Bay would be my second possible sleeper TE.

The Tennessee Titans defense should be ready to feast on the St. Louis Rams. This team is starting a back up QB, and receivers found anywhere they could, but they do have a stud RB that could pose the biggest threat. The Titans to need the birdman Bud Adams to tell Coach Jeff Fisher that he needs to start CB Rod Hood over Nick Harper and opposite Cortland Finnegan. New Orleans and Baltimore are also nice Defenses this weekend.


Last Weeks Favorite Five

Jay Cutler – 14 yards and one TD, wanted more but It’ll do.

Rashard Mendenhall – 103 yards and one TD, that’s about what I expect out of these picks maybe a few more yards.

Jason Avant – 36 yards, not even close, sorry.

Zach Miller – 43 yards, really wanted a score but that’ll do.

San Diego Chargers – Two sacks, one Fumble recovered, but allowed 23 points to Cleveland, sorry.

AFC South Week 13 Wrap Up

           AFC South Week 13 Wrap Up
 
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer Football Reporters Online
Southeast Region
 
Indianapolis 27 Tennessee 17
You have to give it to these Titans when it comes to effort. They turned the ball over at critical times and did not score when they needed to but stayed with the Colts nonetheless. First off, the Colts tied the regular season record for consecutive wins, and stayed undefeated in the process. Peyton Manning was not his usual dominating self but was able to move the football like always and give Joseph Addai time to shine. He gave his team a season-high 79 hard fought yards on 21 carries and was able to get into the end zone twice. Pierre Garcon had a good game with six catches for a career-high 136 yards to help his team. The real story was the Titans penchant for mistakes. There was the Nate Washington drop of a Young pass that was a sure touchdown. There was Ahmard Hall’s fumble that killed a promising drive. An interception by Young did not help and then there was the fumble near the goal line that cost the Titans a touchdown. On the next play LenDale White ran it to the one but the play was called back for holding. The drive ended with a failed fourth-down try and the next drive ended the same way. Later others would say that they should have kicked field goals in those situations but it is too easy to look back. They out gained the Colts and held the ball five minutes more than Indy. Chris Johnson was held in relative check but got 113 yards to go over 100 yards rushing for the seventh straight game.  He now has 1,509 yards and needs to average 149 yards over the last four games to tie the record with 2,105. So now they go back to the drawing board and that starts with St. Louis next week. It is a game they should win and a game that can pad Johnson’s stats. Most of all, it is the first game of four they must win and help will be needed. The Colts will now look at hosting the Broncos next week with a chance to match their best start ever at 13-0.
 
Jacksonville 23 Houston 18
A season gone bad just keeps getting worse for the Texans. With the hope of a playoff run gone, Houston was now looking to at least get back in the win column. What they managed to do was seal their postseason fate in a game full of mistakes. They threw three interceptions from three different players. The call on one of them was in question as Houston faced first and goal from the five. For some reason head coach Gary Kubiak gave the okay for a trick play down 23-12. The play called for running back Chris Brown to take the handoff and pass it to TE Joel Dreessen.  The problem was Brown took the handoff and was pressured by CB Tyron Brackenridge. He got hit and threw the ball into the hands of Gerald Alexander and the drive was dead. Rex Grossman threw another one of the interceptions when he came in place of injured starter Matt Schaub and Schaub threw the other. The Jags put the game away in the second quarter when they scored 17 points against a sluggish Texans defense. They too came into the season with the coach’s job on the line and hopes of a playoff appearance. After this win they are still in the hunt but have a huge game against Miami. The Fins are one game behind the Jags so Jacksonville now finds itself in must-win mode for the rest of the year. Houston will look to at least win out in hopes of getting to 9-7. A place they have never been before in their first eight years.

NFC South Week 13 Wrap Up

              NFC South Week 13 Wrap Up
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer Football Reporters Online
Southeast Region
 
New Orleans 33 Washington 30
See, now this is why they play the game. There are going to be times in a season when you find yourself behind. There will be times when your backs are up against the wall for some reason or another. The Saints faced that problem Sunday against a determined Redskin team that has nothing to play for now but pride. To top that off the Saints gave Washington all they needed and more to win this game. The Saints scored once when Drew Brees was intercepted, then wide receiver Robert Meachem stripped the ball and got it back. If that wasn’t enough Meachem went untouched into the end zone. Oh and then there was 0-4 in the red zone, which is almost unheard of for this team. They had a total of 55 yards rushing to go with seven penalties for 102 yards. Then, when they had come back, Washington set up for the winning field goal to end the Saints perfect season. With 1:52 left Washington kicker Shaun Suisham got set for the go ahead score. Somehow some way the kick went wide right and there was life left for New Orleans. It took all of 33 seconds for them to tie the score and send the game into overtime. So at the 8:31 mark little known Garrett Hartley won it with an 18-yard filed goal. Mind you that he had not kicked for this team until this day and finished with four field goals. So goes this story of destiny where the Saints find themselves almost invincible. Still, they better learn to stop the other team because they are showing that they can be beaten. That they are prone to give up points like the 30 they gave up. They also allowed the Redskins almost 500 yards of offense. So they better tighten up on defense and keep the circus in town with that offense if they hope to win the BIG ONE. Without that a great year will be for naught.
 
Philadelphia 34 Atlanta 7
It was one of those days where someone was coming back home, so to speak. Michael Vick was back and he had a little fun with his old team. He was able to get into a game that was out of hand and had a rushing and passing touchdown. They were his first since 2006 and they meant more to him than we will ever know. The game was all Philly especially with QB Matt Ryan and RB Michael Turner out for the Falcons. Without them they had only 103 yards as team rushing and Chris Redman could not make a difference. The Falcons are now 6-6 and find themselves in a wild-card hole two games behind these Eagles. It looks more and more like the playoffs are out of their hands now. The story was of course Vick and how he was treated in a town where he was once king. He was booed at first but was cheered by those that remain faithful to him. He was humble about the experience and just wants to get back to where he once was in this league. It may take awhile but so long as he does his part someone will give him a chance. The game was not too exciting but the Eagles know they have a lot to play for. The Falcons will now look to next year because without Ryan and Turner that is all they have. They have too many teams to catch up to now so it’s back to the drawing board.
 
Carolina 16 Tampa Bay 6
These two teams have lived and died by their quarterback play this year. For the Panthers it has been the saga of Jake Delhomme and his troubles. For the Bucs it has been a sneak peak at what the future may hold in Josh Freeman. With Delhomme out it was up to Matt Moore to pick up the slack but with his inexperience it would not be. He was 14-20 for 161 yards with a pick and 66 of those yards came on one play. So lack of offense would be a nice term for the Panthers except for the running of Jonathan Stewart. H had a career-high 26 carries to go with 120 yards and a touchdown. The only thing missing was the interception show we usually get from Delhomme. Enter Freeman to the rescue. It was amazing to see the Bucs get inside the Panthers 30 over and over only to come up with six points. The main reason was the generosity of Freeman who threw five picks as Delhomme watched from the sidelines. I am guessing he was really relieved it was not him throwing all those picks. Freeman finished with good stats if you take away the picks. He was 23-44 for a career-high 326 yards but could not avoid the big mistakes. At 1-11 the only question left in Tampa is will head coach Raheem Morris be one and done. The scene in Carolina remains the same, as they appear to have the talent and lay egg after egg year after year. It would appear that this is the end of the line for coach John Fox and his staff as well. It also looks like they may have had their last win of the year as the schedule ends rough. They have to go to New England next and then host the Vikings. After, it’s a trip to the New York Giants and they close at home against the mighty Saints who may be looking at 16-0 at that point. So as they say in sports when your season is shot…………. Wait till next year.